参与集体行动还是获得资源:中国私营企业加入行业协会的动因分析

Participation in collective action or accessibility to resources: motives of private enterprises in joining business association

以往的多数研究认为缺乏自主性阻碍了当前中国行业协会的发展,但在行业协会普遍缺乏自主性的情形下,调研数据却显示私营企业加入协会的数量在持续增长。西方理论视角将自主性作为行业协会发展的基本逻辑,这一观点很难解释中国情境下的这一矛盾。基于研究转型国家的庇护理论(Clientelism),从企业的视角出发,考察中国的私营企业加入行业协会的动机和企业政治关系对加入行业协会的影响。通过对2006-2010年“全国私营企业的抽样调查”数据的分析,结果显示有政治关系的经济精英加入行业协会的比例更高,私营企业加入行业协会的主要目的是政策解读、与政府沟通和俱乐部服务,而并非行业自律和协调,私营企业加入行业协会获取政治资源和组织资源的动机大于参与集体行动的动机。

Existing studies show that business associations in China are ineffective in protecting the interest of private enterprises. Yet survey data suggest that an increasing number of private enterprises are seeking membership in business associations. The western theory that autonomy is the major reason for joining business association doesn′t hold water in China. Drawing upon data from the Private Enterprises Survey of China 2006-2010,the paper examines the motives of private enterprises in their decisions to join business associations. Results show that their prime motive is to seek access to political and organizational resources,such as communication with the government,policy interpretation and club services rather than self-discipline and coordination as the conventional literature shows. In this sense,motives of using more resources outweigh those of collective action.